Then I debated on whether or not I should text Jace to find out. In the end, I decided I didn’t want Jace to think I was some paranoid nut like Shelby and left him alone, thinking that if it had been her, then I’d find out soon enough. Mom was still in the kitchen when I walked through the front door. The scent of banana bread and Lysol filled my nose at the same time as Family Guy blaring from the TV flooded my ears. Dad chuckled from the living room and the sound brought a smile to my face. It had been days since I’d heard him laugh. The stress of my mother’s odd behavior and secrets was beginning to take a toll on us all. I guessed my secret didn’t help matters any, but it had been my mother’s secret long before it became mine. This justified the majority of the blame for the shambles our family was in on her in my mind. “Tessa, can you come here for a minute, please?” mom called to me as I attempted to sneak past the kitchen without her seeing.
